Billingham Observatory- Super Moon Watching

9 Feb 2018

The spectacular Super Blue Blood Moon was enjoyed by stargazing enthusiasts at the Billingham Observatory at RGS The Grange on 31 January.

The Observatory was generously donated by the Billingham family. The late John Billingham was a pupil at RGS Worcester in the 1940s and went on to enjoy a star-studded career with NASA where he led the team who pioneered SETI (The Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence).

This particular Super Moon is one of a series of three. The first of these took place on 3 December 2017, the second of which was on 1 January and the most recent on 31 January 2018.

The Super Moon happens when the full Moon coincides with the Moon’s closest approach to Earth in its orbit. Super Moons make the Moon appear a little brighter and closer than normal, although the difference is hard to spot with the naked eye.